Darker Desires
by Link015
Summary: Five people from the ends of Rune-Midgard. Desires from every single one of them, from power to revenge. Joined together to create a guild, which quests to become the strongest in the world.
1. Crystal Soul

Chris: I came up with another idea for an RO fic when I was thinking about an update for my _existing _RO fic. So yeah, I'm weird. I have too many ideas. Anyway, hope you like it.

Note: This story is not in any way, shape, or form related to Tom Valor's Crimson Twilight world. I'm doing something of my own this time. But hopefully, you'll still like it. Oh, and I don't own Ragnarok Online. Gravity Inc. does.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Crystal Soul**

Sairan stood in the forest of Payon, scanning the landscape for any monsters to kill. He adjusted his red and brown cloak and straightened out the sleeves. Suddenly, to his left, a small raccoon appeared, clutching a small potato in its mouth. Sairan brightened and opened his hand, spreading out his fingers. Small balls of fire erupted from each fingertip, and when he clenched his hand, they hovered in front of him.

"Sorry about this!" Sairan flung his fist forward, as if he were punching someone. The balls of flame followed his hand; launching themselves at the raccoon and making it explode into flame. When the fire died down, the wizard was pleased to see that the raccoon had been cooked and that the potato was still unharmed. Sairan chuckled and ran a hand through his brown hair and blinked his green eyes.

"Mm…Dinner. I wonder if anyone else found something." Sairan stood over the raccoon and rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing an intricate symbol. He pressed some of his fingers on it and muttered some words. A small diagram of the forest appeared, and small figures representing the people in his guild appeared on the map. He paused, and then decided to touch the figure of an assassin.

"Hey Whirlwind. I got us some dinner!" Sairan spoke to the figure and waited for the assassin to answer.

* * *

While Sairan was entertaining himself by killing a raccoon, Whirlwind was busy fighting off a pair of bears he had disturbed. The assassin ducked as one of the bears slashed at his head and then rolled to the side to avoid being stepped on. "Stupid bears!" He leaped up, flipping his twin daggers in his hands. He dodged another strike by one of the bears and embedded one of his stilettos at the bear's chest.

"You've got ten seconds to live before the poison on that dagger kills you. Want to count?" Whirlwind smirked and dodged a strike from the second bear. "Come on, count with me!"

The assassin jumped as the second bear clawed at his feet. "One!"

The first bear roared angrily, and charged at Whirlwind, who stabbed him with his second stiletto. "Two!"

The assassin was knocked to the side as the second bear caught him on his blind side, but he quickly got up and held his dagger in a ready position. "Three!"

Whirlwind's eyes glinted as he saw the first bear stagger back, probably from an effect of the poison. "Four!"

The other bear charged at the assassin. Whirlwind jumped away and smiled teasingly. "Five!"

The poisoned bear collapsed on the ground and began thrashing violently. "Six!"

The second bear attacked the assassin again. Whirlwind easily dodged the strike and slashed through the bear's neck. "You were bothering me. Seven!"

The remaining monster shuddered as it staggered up, dark blotches appearing everywhere on its skin. "Eight!"

The first bear, maddened by the poison, swung violently around and knocked off branches and tore up dirt. Some of the splotches ripped open, leaking purple blood. "Nine!"

Whirlwind stood still as the maddened beast charged at him. Just as the bear was about to slice his stomach open, it collapsed on the ground. "Ten." He kicked over the corpse and retrieved his dagger. "Nice try." Whirlwind winked his red eyes and laughed loudly, his dark-green hair waving in the breeze.

Suddenly, the sigil on his arm tingled. He checked his shirt for any signs of blood and touched the mark. "Hey Sairan. Why'd you call me?"

"Hey Whirlwind! I got us some dinner!"

* * *

"What'd you do? Roast some poor harvest animal? Don't waste your magic on that." The assassin's voice filtered into Sairan's ear, even though Whirlwind was probably hundreds of yards away.

"Ah, don't worry. I was just trying something out."

"….Your new spells, huh? I think you're carrying this spell creation stuff too far."

"You're just angry because my new spells can defeat your techniques any day." Sairan smirked, and waited for his companion's answer.

"…."

"I think that silence means that I'm right."

"…We'll see about that! They don't call me Whirlwind for nothing!" The figure in the map suddenly raised its middle finger and moved off into a deeper part of the forest. Sairan laughed at his friend's reply.

"Actually, I think you're the only one calls you Whirlwind. Everyone else just calls you Rayos or Mr. Kewain."

"Don't say those names! Ugh…They're so annoying! Whirlwind is so much better!" His voice exploded into Sairan's ear, causing the mage to wince. "I wonder how everyone else is doing."

* * *

At that moment, another one of their guild mates was having the time of her life. She laughed wildly as her whip flicked across the bear's skin, creating gouges and rips in the fur. The dancer rolled up her whip again, still laughing. "Bow down before me!" She coiled up her whip, taking care not to cut her own skin on the numerous barbs and spikes embedded in it.

The bear grunted and charged at her. She grinned playfully and unfurled her whip. "Let's go!" Laughing insanely again, she continued whipping the bear into submission, striking claw, skin, and fur. After a couple of minutes, the bear was nothing more than an undistinguishable lump of flesh and matted hair.

"Awwww….You died. You're no fun." The dancer stuck her whip into a pocket on her skirt. "Hee hee hee…Silly little bear." Her fiery-red hair glistened with blood and sweat. She decided to talk to her other guild mates. The dancer ran her fingers over her sigil, which was the symbol of her guild. She traced her fingers over the sword emblem, which was crossed by a peal of lightning. The dancer liked the emblem. She was the one who suggested it. Her bright brown eyes twinkled as she thought of something to say.

"Hey Sairan. Are you guys misbehaving again? Now, now boys. No fighting. Mommy Selena is watching you."

* * *

"Aw, don't butt in Selena. I'm busy arguing with Sairan here." Whirlwind whined like a child.

"Arguing is bad for guild morale, okay? So stop arguing or else I'll show you what a Breezestream can do." Selena's voice turned into one akin to a teacher scolding a student. "Behave Rayos."

"Argh! Not the name!"

"Nice to see…hear you, Selena. Guild magic gets better everyday, huh?"

"Yep, yep!" Her voice became chipper again. "So, what are you doing? I was just having some fun with a bigfoot and it suddenly died on me! No courtesy at all."

"I completely agree. Why, I was just trying to get through the forest silently and suddenly two bears attacked me!" Whirlwind added his own comment. Sairan scratched his head.

"Are you sure about that? …Did you kick them and tell them to fight you?"

"…Of course not!" Whirlwind protested indignantly. "Like I would do that!"

"You would do that."

"Exactly! Wait….HEY!"

"You're pathetic, Whirlwind." Selena tsked.

"Shut up, Selena. Anyway, where's Butterfingers? I feel like razzing him."

"…You know how he hates being called Butterfingers." Sairan sighed. "He'll kill you."

"Yeah. So what? It's not like he can hit me."

* * *

'Butterfingers' currently was busy fighting against a Sohee he had discovered in the depths of the forest. The knight grimaced as he felt the Sohee's dagger clash against his plate armor. "Fools…Everyone is a fool!" The knight swung his tsurugi in a wide arc but the Sohee evaporated and re-appeared a couple of feet away. Butterfingers chased after the Sohee, yelling out an old Pronteran battle cry. He jumped in the air, which was not an easy task considering his armor, and brought down his blade at the Sohee's head.

"Dammit!" The knight cursed as the Sohee evaporated again. He spun around quickly enough to swing out his kite shield to block the Sohee's dagger. The female ghost screamed shrilly and stabbed repeatedly at the knight, who blocked with his shield again.

When the onslaught was over, Butterfingers decided to go on the attack again. He feinted to the left and the Sohee fell for his fake attack. Now that the creature's defenses were open, the knight chucked his shield at it, watching satisfactorily as its broad face crashed against the ghost. The Sohee was pushed back a couple of feet, and when the ghost pried off the shield, Butterfingers was there to end its life with a two-handed thrust.

The ghost screamed in agony as its spirit floated off, leaving a ragged bundle of clothes and bells. Butterfingers retrieved his shield and strapped it to his back. "I better report in." He sheathed his sword and rubbed the guild sigil, which was on his hand.

"Hello? This is Rahal, reporting in." The knight listened carefully, where he heard snippets of a conversation between the guild leader and the guild assassin.

"I'm telling you! There are Smokies in the desert!" Whirlwind protested angrily.

"…You're lying." Rahal heard Sairan rebuke Whirlwind's idiotic statement and sighed. _'I better join in. Even if it's just to set Whirlwind straight.'_

"Rayos, you're an idiot."

* * *

"Oh, hey Butterfingers." Whirlwind snickered.

"My name is Rahal Farain! Not Butterfingers!" The knight roared back angrily.

"We all know that. Shut up, Whirlwind." Sairan slapped his head. "Don't make me use your real name again."

"I'll be good!"

"Glad to hear it." Sairan shook his head. The pressures of running a guild were piling up on him. _'Whirlwind is like a child and Selena isn't much better. Rahal, our knight, has an extreme lack of emotions other than anger. And our newest member, Kristin, is just…weird. Which reminds me, where is she?'_

Another voice popped up over the guild communications. "Hey guys! Fists of Fury here! Is the Mad Hatter playing with his spells again?"

"…Kristin. Please stop it with the nicknames." Sairan sighed at hearing Kristin's nickname for him.

"Me so sorry!" The voice clearly indicated that she actually wasn't sorry, and was busy laughing at the moment.

"That's enough….Anyway, meet up with me. The forests of Payon are getting too tame for us, right?"

"Absolutely!"

"Of course!"

"Anything to get stronger."

"Nothing stops the Fists of Fury!"

"Glad to hear it. Now hurry up! I don't want to have to burn any guild members!" Sairan cackled and passed his hand over the sigil again, closing off the shouts by the other guild members. No doubt they were trying to reach him as fast as possible so they wouldn't get fried. Sairan had a very harsh guild punishment for tardiness.

Sairan started whistling as he set up a small fire pit and began cooking up the potato. He gathered up a few twigs and set them ablaze using his magic. Then, to amuse himself while waiting, he let lightning dance across his fingers, occasionally letting a charge fly into the air and strike a part of the surroundings.

Whirlwind was the first to arrive. The assassin jumped down from the trees, landing behind Sairan. The assassin was about to slash Sairan in the back when the wizard threw a lightning bolt in his face. Whirlwind fell to the ground, slightly in shock.

"Damn…Still haven't been able to catch you." Whirlwind grinned and sat next to Sairan. He placed one of his arms around Sairan's shoulder and squeezed him. "Glad to see your reflexes are still good!"

"Get off of me, or else you won't have dark-green hair anymore. In fact, you won't have hair of any color anymore." Sairan mumbled angrily as he checked his potato to make sure it was well-cooked.

Whirlwind recoiled and placed a hand over his heart. "Sairan! You wound me! How could you, my friend?"

"I can because I can."

"Good enough." The assassin shrugged and fell on his back, watching the sky darken. He began humming a song that he had learned in Payon. "Nothing can stop us, not even fate/ Our power is too strong, you just gotta wait/ Wait for the end, when the darkness comes/ Our power will stop you, you no-good bums."

"…Stop singing, please." Sairan groaned and turned to the assassin, who was cheerily waving at the sky. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just waving at the clouds while waiting for Butterfingers, Fists of Fury, and Psy-chaotic to come." Whirlwind snickered. "Fists of Fury comes up with good nicknames, huh, Mad Hatter?"

Sairan trembled angrily. "Never call me that or I'll kill you now and find a new assassin."

"I think you should do it anyway." Rahal crashed through some bushes to appear in the clearing. Whirlwind sat up, glad to find someone else to distract.

"Hey Butterfingers! How many things did you kill?"

"DON'T CALL ME BUTTERFINGERS!" Rahal roared. "I TOLD YOU! MY NAME IS RAHAL FARAIN!" He stomped up to Whirlwind and threw a punch at the assassin's head. Whirlwind disappeared and reappeared behind Rahal.

"Don't be mean, Rahal. I'm just kidding, okay?" Whirlwind grinned.

"Hmph. It's a good thing you can fight or else I'd sever your head from your shoulders." Rahal sat down, his armor clanking. Sighing in relief, he removed his helmet and shook out his gray hair.

"Heya Butterfingers!" Kristin, the guild monk, jumped out from a tree.

"ARGH! STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Rahal stood, his blue eyes flashing.

"Geez, sorry, sorry!" Kristin held up her hands, backing away. "Didn't think you were so grumpy." Her gray eyes show fear, but not a lot of it. She brought her long, black hair to the front of her body and began hugging it. "Just don't touch my beautiful hair."

"Sheesh…What's with girls and hair?" Rahal sat down, mollified slightly.

"It's because we girls are just sooooo much cuter that you guys!" Selena walked up, laughing gaily. She ran a hand through her own red hair and laughed again.

"Hey Whirlwind! Let me practice my new move again!" Kristin hopped to the assassin. "Please?"

"Sure." Whirlwind found a small branch on the floor and tossed it to her. The monk judged the distance and speed of the stick and launched her left hand at it. She missed by a centimeter or two and stamped her foot angrily.

"Don't make them so small, Whirly! It's too hard!"

"Fine, fine." Whirlwind found a bigger stick and tossed it at her.

"This is mine!" Kristin watched it, and launched her left fist at it again. This time, the stick seemed to hover in mid-air as the monk pelted it with kicks, punches, and jabs from every direction. With one last punch, she hit it high into the air and kicked it as it fell to the ground. Whirlwind squinted as he watched the mutilated branch disappear.

"Nice, Kristin."

"Thanks! I've been practicing!" Kristin giggled and sat next to the assassin, humming cheerily.

"Okay, that's enough. Now that we are all assembled, let's begin our meeting. We probably all get on each other's nerves, but the fact is that we are probably one of the best guilds in all of Rune-Midgard." Sairan smiled and the rest of the guild members cheered, except for the dour Rahal.

"Whirlwind, master of assassinations and thieving techniques. And also possesses and depressing ability to annoy every single person on the whole planet. As you all know, he's the man for quick deaths and poisons." Sairan gestured at Whirlwind, who twirled his daggers in the air playfully.

"Glad to hear it! Don't make me kill any of you people!"

"Next up, Selena Breezestream. A very good person to have if you're tired, since her dances could probably wake up the dead. Of course, she's lethal with that whip of hers, as I'm sure all of the forest monsters know. Also the self-proclaimed Goddess of Revelry."

"That's me!" Selena winked happily.

"And moving on to our knight, Rahal Farain. If you want a wall, he's the one for you. Quick, even with heavy armor, and deadly with his sword _and _shield. Specializes in using everything as a weapon and it has been known that he killed a bear with a woodchuck. How, we'll never know."

"…" Rahal nodded, his face calm.

"And here's our newest member, Kristin Naman. As she demonstrated earlier, she's a whiz with physical techniques and uses her fists and legs to do all of the talking for her. Sadly enough, she also comes with the desire to give almost every single person she knows nicknames. Which is very, very annoying at times."

"Thanks, Mad Hatter!"

Sairan counted to ten before continuing. "Finally, we come to me, your humble leader. I'm a specialist with all types of attack magic, and alter some to make my own results. I _am_ the guild leader, if you didn't know that, and if you have any problems, please come to me. Note that I probably won't be kicking anyone out. However, we probably will be getting recruits. There probably **have** to be more people that are crazy like you guys. And if you need a demonstration of my new magic…" Sairan smiled and opened his fingers wide again. This time, tiny balls of electricity hovered above his fingers. Slowly moving his hand down, keeping it open, he grinned as he saw the electricity stretch to follow his hand. Laughing, he swept his hand in a wide arc, causing the electricity, which had elongated into whips, to crash into trees nearby. He snapped the fingers in his other hand and the gouges in the trees suddenly caught on fire.

"So…I'm sure you all know this, but nothing helps like a refresher course. Now, I propose we enter the Payon Caverns and journey to the deepest level. They say a very powerful monster resides there and we might also pick up recruits along the way as well. And destroying this monster will give us a lot more power and prestige, right?"

"Right!"

"So, members of the Crystal Soul guild, it's time to head back to Payon to prepare for our next destination! May our strength destroy all in our path!" He stomped on the campfire, extinguishing its blaze.

* * *

Chris: Whoooo…New fic. Weird fic. And in case you didn't get it, it's about a guild of five people who are most likely psychotic or something close to that. Oh…And just so you know, the guild _will _be getting new recruits. You'll just have to see who they are. So…Review please! 


	2. Knowledge Seekers

Chris: Another chapter to the fic I created, just because I felt like it!

**PMOHWinters: **Yep, they're really crazy. But crazy is funny. In the right context, of course.

**mystique-goddex: **Glad to see you like it. And I'm sure Selena will like the fact that she has a fan. And yeah, Sairan's a wizard. And if you want the new one to be an alchemist, I believe I can accommodate your request. I was having trouble deciding between a blacksmith and an alchemist anyway, so since you want it, the next one's going to be an alchemist.

Disclaimer: I own the Crystal Soul guild and all its little members. I don't own Ragnarok Online. Also, note that the thing that's at the beginning is not a flashback. It's just something that's happening in a totally different place. Italics just makes me look more mysterious.

_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Knowledge Seekers**_

"_But Mistress!" A female voice cried out in the darkness._

"_No buts. I must see what the world is like, and why people act the way they do." The answering voice, also female, seemed the carry the weight of finality in its tone._

"_But you'll be killed! And what will we do then?"_

"_Don't worry. I have no intention of being killed."_

"_But Mistress…"_

"_What have I told you about buts? I'm going, and that's final."_

"…_Then at least let me accompany you."_

"_What! Why?"_

"_Well, at least I'll be able to see if you're safe. And if you should ever be in danger…"_

"_Hmph. I don't know."_

"_Please Mistress!"_

"_Fine! Just as long as you don't call me Mistress out there! I don't want anyone figuring out who I am."_

"_Of course, Mis-my lady."_

"_Sigh…I guess that's as good as I'm going to get. Very well. You may come along, but don't bother me!"_

"_Thank you, Mistress!"_

"_What I have to put up with, being the master around here." The first voice sighed, and the two figures vanished._

_-------------------------------- _

"Ah….The city of Payon! Land of booze, arrows, and bar fights!" Whirlwind spun as he walked around, laughing.

"That's not exactly right, Whirlwind." Sairan raised an eye at Whirlwind, who ignored him.

"So what?" Whirlwind smirked. "Come on! Can we go play now? Please?"

"Sigh…Fine. Everyone can go around doing whatever he or she wants. We'll meet up tomorrow at Payon's town square. And you better not be late!" Sairan smirked.

"Yeah, yeah! We know!" Whirlwind jumped happily. "Drinks time!"

"Except for you, Whirlwind." Sairan grinned evilly at the assassin, who stopped in his tracks.

"What?"

"You get us some new guild members. Then you can horse around." Sairan mock saluted him. "Good luck. Remember everyone! One whole day to do whatever you want!" He clapped his hands, and everyone dispersed, going about their individual tasks.

_------_

"Recruit some guild members!" Whirlwind copied Sairan's words in a realistic impersonation of the wizard's voice. "Hmph. Stupid Sairan. How come I can't have any fun?" His green-hair shook as the assassin angrily slashed at an offending tree branch that was five feet away. The assassin spotted an announcements board and decided to post his own message. Snatching the pen that was tied to the board, he wrote down the following message.

"_The Crystal Soul guild is recruiting more members! Join the strongest guild in all of Rune-Midgard. Strength, power, and magic all a plus! And if you're crazy like us, that's even better! Contact Whirlwind or Sairan for details. Whirlwind is the hot, green-haired assassin. Sairan is the evil, tyrant taskmaster wizard. Contact Whirlwind first. Or else he might kill you. Whirlwind will probably be located at the nearest bar or tavern. Most likely Heaven's Gate, because they serve the best spirits in all of Payon."_

_- Whirlwind_

Whirlwind smiled at his handiwork. "All done!" Whirlwind dusted off his hands and ran off towards Heaven's Gate, intent on using his hard-earned zeny to get totally bombed.

_-----------------------------------_

Rahal, the guild's knight, was doing what he always did when Sairan gave him a break. He walked right into the Payon Caves and began killing the zombies and skeletons in there. While they were hardly a challenge, the knight hated to relax when there were chances to fight. It would strengthen his muscles and his fighting instincts, and to the gray-haired knight, that was all he needed to know that all was right in the world.

"Stronger, stronger, stronger!" Rahal roared fiercely as he swung his sword through a throng of skeletons, scattering them into piles of chalky bone. The knight used his free hand to rip the head off a zombie that had staggered towards him. He smashed the rotting head into another zombie, killing that one as well.

"Train your body and train your spirit! Nothing will stand in your way!" Rahal roared again as he swung his sword into the cave walls, gouging a deep scar into the stone. The knight smiled. This is what taking a break is all about.

_-----------------_

Selena smiled seductively as she sauntered down the main street of Payon, attracting gazes from some of the blacksmiths and merchants who had set up shop there. It was actually quite cruel of her, Selena decided. She shrugged mentally. What did she care? Just as long as they gave her stuff and bought her things, it was all the same to her. But today, there was something more important in her mind.

She stepped up to the Payon mayor's house and waved aside the guards, who bowed to her. Selena stepped into the mayor's office and smiled, her red hair falling down her face. "Hiya Daddy! What'd you want?"

_-----------------------_

Sairan sighed as he wandered throughout Payon. _'This city is so boring. There's nothing to do. No monsters to roast. No spells to perfect. No duels going along.'_ The wizard looked around, unaffected by the various sights and sounds ringing against his eyes and ears. _'If only there was a place to see how good I really was…'_ Sairan looked up to see a bright sign in front of him. Sairan squinted as he read it, scratching his dirt-brown hair.

"_Come! Test your skills in the Payon Arena! Win money or compete to show off your strength! Five-hundred zeny to join! Good luck, and may the best fighter win!"_

_- The Payon Advisory Board_

Sairan smiled. Now this was a place where he could test his skills. He was eager to show off his new spells, the Lightning Whip and Flame Fist. The wizard chuckled to himself, stroking a flame to hover above his finger. Moving quickly, he burned a message into the poster, which read,

"_And that best fighter is me, Sairan Pyrestrike!"_

_--------------------_

Kristin strolled through another section of Payon, amusing herself by unleashing her new move on various things on the ground. While that earned her stares from various passerbies, she was too busy perfecting the technique to notice. The black haired monk whistled tunelessly to herself as she continued on her 'training' session. The monk felt at home within the dense forests and trees of Payon.

Kristin continued on her walk, smiling inwardly. Her friends back at Prontera would be so surprised to see how powerful she had gotten.

_-------------------_

"Look, my lady!" A young, blond-haired girl pointed to a sign erected on an announcement board.

"I see it, I see it." Her companion, another girl who was slightly taller and had brown-blond hair walked up and examined the sign. "This…Crystal Soul guild. They seem very confident of themselves. Definitely what I am seeking." The girl smirked. "Looks like they also have a sense of humor."

The first girl looked worriedly at her friend. "But…my lady!"

"Will you stop calling me that? My name is Flora Riati. Not 'my lady'." The second girl whirled on the first, her eyes flashing.

"O-Okay, Flora! I'm sorry!" The first held up her arms to shield herself from any blows.

"Sigh, that's okay. Come on, we'd better find this Whirlwind." Flora brushed back some of her hair and blinked her sky-blue eyes. "It's time to see what we can find out. The alchemist, Flora Riati, and her acolyte friend, Vanessa Kaeltal, are ready to join this Crystal Soul guild!"

"Yes, my lady!"

"Will you stop calling me that?"

"S-Sorry!"

_----------------_

Whirlwind was busy sipping some of his drink and watching a bard/dancer duo perform when he spotted two girls enter the tavern. Whirlwind's eyes rose when he saw the two. One was tall and slim, with blond-brown hair and sky-blue eyes. She wore an alchemist's cape and wore a simple green shirt and blue skirt. The alchemist also wore a strange staff at her side and gazed through the bar with a disgusted face.

Her companion seemed quite different though. While she also had blond hair, the resemblance ended there. Her eyes were actually a dark crimson and she was trembling in fright. She wore a plain white mantle that draped around her shoulders and the traditional acolyte's garb. The girl looked scared just stepping inside of the tavern. Whirlwind wondered how the two people became traveling partners.

The alchemist walked up to him. "Are you Whirlwind?"

The assassin smiled. "And if I were?"

"Well, we'd like to enter the guild you advertised on that sign." The alchemist looked at him as if the answer was completely obvious.

"Ah! I see it caught your attention!" Whirlwind brightened. "If you want to join, you're going to have to beat in battle!"

"Oh, okay." The alchemist whipped out her staff and clonked Whirlwind on the head before hitting him in the stomach. The assassin toppled out of his seat, winded.

"That…wasn't fair." Whirlwind struggled back into his seat, clutching his stomach.

"You just said to beat you in battle. I won." The alchemist shrugged, her face emotionless.

"M-My lady…Are you sure that was honorable?" The acolyte walked up to the alchemist, her hands shaking as she brought them up to her chest.

"Honorable, schmonorable. If you want to be the best, honor is only second in your priorities." The alchemist shrugged. "So do I get in?"

"Well, of course! I'm sure you'll be a fine addition to our little group." Whirlwind brightened.

"Just as long as my friend comes in too." The alchemist put an arm around the acolyte, who looked at her gratefully.

Whirlwind raised a skeptical eye. "Is she good enough?"

"Oh, she's quite strong. Don't let her timid demeanor dissuade you from the fact that she is quite talented."

"Very well. I'll take your word for it." Whirlwind patted the acolyte on the shoulder. "Stay with me for the day. I'll take you to the guild leader and tell him of how you defeated the dashing and invincible Whirlwind with one blow." The assassin pounded his chest with his fist, looking regal.

The alchemist cracked a smile and the acolyte laughed shakily. Whirlwind smiled.

"Heh, now that that's settled….Names? Sairan's gonna need your names." Whirlwind took another drink from his glass.

"I'm Flora Riati and this is my friend Vanessa Kaeltal." The alchemist sat next to Whirlwind. "Care to treat a girl to a drink?" Flora looked at her companion. "Make that two girls?"

Whirlwind smiled. "I think I'm going to like you two. Yo! Barkeep! Two more ales here! And make it fast before I poison the money I pay you!" The green-haired assassin turned and looked at the two of them. "Glad to have you two join me! Come on! Toast to power, freedom, and-! Urp…Hurling!" Whirlwind turned and threw up onto the floor.

Flora laughed again and Vanessa joined her. The alchemist smiled at the assassin's antics. "Yes…I'm sure both of us will enjoy being in your guild."

* * *

Chris: Well, there it is! The two new recruits! Do _you _know who they are? Huh? Huh? Well, if you have guesses, put it in a review! And if you don't, review anyway!

And yeah, this chapter is shorter.


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